130. You Know It’s Shameless, Right?

2024.02.07.

Noel was surprised even himself by an intense emotion he had never felt before in his entire life.

Unable to hold back words he couldn’t utter, his body had moved on its own.

This was the first time such a thing had happened.

Noel had never, not even for a single moment since birth, failed to be cautious.

It had been instinct.

An instinct that didn’t want to lose the person he cared for right before his eyes.

‘I’ve been loving Tasha as a woman all along.’

All the suppressed emotions and inner turmoil he had endured until now swirled chaotically in his mind before finally scattering away.

Before he could even examine the feelings he had only just realized within himself, his confused emotions suddenly surfaced at that very moment.

“What on earth do you think you’re doing?”

At that moment, Tasha, abruptly dragged out into the corridor, flushed red with anger and turned to Noel.

“When exactly did you start caring about me? Why didn’t you just ignore me like always? Don’t act like you care about my feelings! It’s so frustrating and irritating!”

“W-w-who said I d-d-didn’t care about you? Y-y-you’re the one who should c-c-care about my feelings!”

Instantly.

Silence flowed.

Tasha first stared at Noel, who had finally managed to speak clearly.

Then at his trembling, beautiful lips and the tears welling in his eyes.

Finally, she gaped in shock at his voice, which sounded so unfamiliar.

“You… spoke…?”

Only then did Noel realize he had just shown Tasha—of all people—the one appearance and the one manner he had most wanted to hide.

His face turned ashen gray.

An endless stillness stretched between them.

Tasha, staring at Noel’s lips that would never open again, left the spot with a face on the verge of bursting into tears.

Noel remained rooted to the corridor like a stake driven into the ground, then grimaced and abruptly turned, fleeing down the corridor.

From a distance, Yu An, who had witnessed the two shouting, clutched her head in despair.

***

Yu An wasn’t the only one clutching her head.

“…I shall go see the Second Prince.”

Yu Jin Kimfri stood behind her, having returned from the party hall, apparently drawn by the commotion.

When Yu An startled and turned around, a pair of bright amber eyes looked directly down at her.

“Your Highness, please comfort Tasha.”

…Had he just said the opposite of what he meant?

Today, Yu An’s partner had been Noel, while Tasha’s partner had been Yu Jin.

Moreover, Yu An’s relationship with Tasha wasn’t exactly close.

And weren’t the Kimfri siblings, despite their occasional bickering, clearly very close to each other?

Perhaps having read Yu An’s expression, Yu Jin Kimfri added an explanation with a short sigh.

His gaze quietly followed Noel and Tasha, who had each rushed off in opposite directions.

“They both left the party in the middle, though they weren’t each other’s partners. It wouldn’t matter if Tasha and I were together, but what would everyone think if the Second Prince and Your Highness were having a serious conversation outside?”

Rumors already swirled that Yu An was trying to ensnare every nobleman in the royal family.

If Noel, who had just dragged Tasha away by the arm, was now having a serious discussion with Yu An outside, how many entertaining rumors would flood the otherwise free-spirited social circle?

Even in the liberal South, matters concerning the royal family would be scrutinized with burning eyes.

“Since you already understand the Second Prince’s condition, you may be able to say something helpful to Tasha.”

Yu An stared blankly at Yu Jin, who bowed respectfully before walking off in the direction where Noel had disappeared.

“He already knows…?”

Yu Jin Kimfri already knew about Noel’s condition.

But how could it be that Tasha hadn’t even guessed at it?

‘How incredibly tight-lipped he is.’

Internally amazed, Yu An turned her body toward the direction Tasha had vanished.

Even if the water was already spilled, shouldn’t she at least try to gather it back up?

She felt sorrow for the time Noel had struggled to deliver a single, coherent sentence to Tasha—someone who had never stuttered a word in his life.

Her advice to convey his feelings clearly might have only burdened Noel even more.

Honestly, she didn’t want to get involved in Noel and Tasha’s affairs.

But she could no longer turn a blind eye to the problems of someone who had become her friend.

If he couldn’t hide his stutter anymore, she could at least create an opportunity for him to truly communicate.

Yu An calmed her racing heart and stepped toward the corridor where Tasha had disappeared.

The corridor stretched long before turning sharply in an L-shape, connecting to a colonnade.

If Tasha was leaning against some spot on the colonnade wall, swallowing her confusion, Yu An could catch up quickly. But if she had already gone outside through one of the doors along the colonnade, the situation would change.

With such a clear difference in leg length and speed, Yu An quickened her steps slightly.

Entering the colonnade along the bent path, she saw large arched openings, each wide enough for a person, lined along both walls. Orange twilight poured in from outside.

The dim interior was tightly illuminated, creating bright splotches on the floor that endlessly stretched ahead under her feet.

And as she approached the door leading outside,

Yu An spotted a silhouette standing still at the far end of the colonnade and slowed, then stopped.

Her rapidly moving feet refused to advance further, as if glued in place.

Golden hair, reflecting the orange twilight, shimmered brilliantly, fracturing into dazzling pieces within Yu An’s pupils.

Tiny golden fragments scattered like fine sparks before settling beneath her dark eyes.

Underneath hair hastily swept back, a smooth forehead came into view.

Unable to withstand the arrow-like gaze aimed at her, Yu An lowered her eyes to his somewhat dry lips.

Though the humid southern air had softened somewhat compared to the scorching midday sun, Yu An suddenly felt suffocated.

Summoning courage, she looked up into the beautiful eyes she had dreamed of.

The moment she saw his eyes—frozen like hers, then slowly distorting at the corners—her heart sank deep underground.

‘Clade.’

It was undoubtedly Clade.

Clade, who, outside of dreams, had never even offered her a sliver of a smile.

Yu An clutched the full, billowing hem of her dress.

Her legs, unable to flee or advance, stiffened completely, waiting for his judgment.

The moment he had told her never to appear before him again.

The moment he had turned back, perhaps for the last time, only to direct those beautiful eyes toward another woman instead of her—each memory twisted her heart.

Would it have been better if he had simply strode forward and blatantly passed her by?

If he had spat before her, cursed his bad luck, mocked her, then walked away—could she at least have collapsed against the wall?

Now that the man she had found so hard to accept as truly gone stood right before her, Yu An could do nothing but helplessly fix her eyes on him, powerless to say goodbye again or ruin all her plans by rushing into his arms.

Clade, too, remained completely still.

His furrowed brow showed no sign of relaxing, and the man’s gaze, fixed on her with tension along his jawline, seemed to wrap around her body, binding her tightly and refusing to let go.

Yu An felt as if she were drowning together with him in an endless, deep lake.

The humid southern air, aiding her breath as if trying to kill her, made every moment of breathing a terrible agony.

She wasn’t even wearing the kind of revealing dress that made one feel like a doll controlled by Bollonico.

Yet breathing felt so heavy.

And at that moment.

The first to move was the door between them.

With a loud noise, a snow-white beauty appeared between Clade and Yu An—coming through the colonnade door Tasha had exited.

“Clade!”

It was Grand Duchess Ariesta.

At that moment.

Yu An’s feet, stuck to the floor, took one step backward.

And precisely by that distance,

Ariesta stepped boldly forward, turning her back to Yu An and facing Clade.

With a voice raised as high as her slightly flushed face, she stretched out a delicate tone toward Clade.

“Clade! What is all this rumor? No, right? You’ve decided to spend the entire social season in the South just to seduce southern women! It’s nonsense, isn’t it?”

Ariesta’s silver hair, shimmering even more mysteriously in the light, swayed back and forth.

“How could you do such a thing! If the late Empress had heard this rumor, she would surely have said something to you! This must not happen! I must stop you myself. I was just stopping by the townhouse to drive those women away. Please, don’t tell me I don’t have the right! This is… this is me, your longtime friend who loved you more than anyone, trying to set you back on the right path!”

Yu An bit her lip, watching Ariesta’s back as she boldly shouted toward Clade.

Truthfully, if Yu An had the right, the words she wanted to say came pouring out from within Ariesta.

The voice of Clade, who had fallen silent when facing Yu An, immediately responded to her.

“If I don’t suit you, then why don’t you just leave? Before you get caught up in rumors by visiting a single man’s home.”

“You and I don’t care about rumors! No matter what they are! Do you think I came all the way here alone from the capital without being prepared for that?”

Pushing forward stubbornly, Ariesta displayed an almost forced firmness, unlike her usual delicate self.

Behind her, Yu An stood frozen, knowing full well it was time for her to step away—even as Ariesta clenched her fists tightly, breathing heavily, still managing to appear more beautiful than frightening to onlookers.

Surprisingly, after a brief silence, Clade’s voice bypassed Ariesta and landed directly in front of Yu An.

“You know it’s shameless, right?”

And that voice gripped Yu An’s ankle and refused to let go.

Yu An lifted her gaze, which had briefly dropped, and met Clade’s eyes.

“To leave me and then stand so boldly before me like this.”

Ariesta froze mid-breath, her posture rigid.

But Yu An didn’t see her stiff back.

Beyond Ariesta, Clade’s eyes held Yu An fast, refusing to let her go gently.

“You whispered ‘I love you’ to me thousands upon thousands of times. But in the end, what happened?”

Yu An’s fingertips turned deathly white.

That wasn’t a statement for Ariesta.

That.

That was clearly…

a statement for Yu An.